LE BENGALI

The Le Bengali stereoscopic viewer was manufactured in Lourdes, France, probably in the 1950's. It is constructed from hard plastic. There is a small window between the lenses where the user can view the slide title.

This viewer is very rare and appears to have been sold exclusively by E. Quinault, 6 rue de l'Hôtel de Ville.

The box for the Le Bengali had a hinged lid

These operating instructions were glued inside the lid of the box.

A close-up view of the name plate moulded in the viewer's body

A leaflet included in the box

Many thanks to F. Hemminghaus for gifting this viewer to me.

Slides for the Le Bengali

The slide format used was quite unusual. It consisted of two pairs of stereo viewers in an aluminium covered cardboard mount. These came in boxed sets consisting of three slides, which gave six stereoscopic views in all.

The slides for the Le Bengali were very well made. The back was a sheet of thin aluminium which was stamped out and the edges wrapped around the front of the cardboard slide frame. This meant the slides were very rigid. Also, Kodachrome film was used and so the images have lasted well, still retaining their bright colours.

The lid from a box of Le Bengali Slides

Many thanks to S. Schoevaart for gifting these slides to me.

Use the Cross-Eyed method to view this scene from Slide Lourdes Calvaire No. 6

3D Cross-eyed image of a Le Bengali Viewer

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